Macaroni die-plate.



No. 762,128. PATENTED JUNE 7, 1904.

' L. BOURQUIIN.

MAGARONI DIE PLATE.

. no MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented June 7, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS BOURQUIN, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

MACARONI DlE -PLATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,128,1iated June 7, 1904.

Application filed September 26, 1903. Serial No. 174,788. (No model.)

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS BOURQUIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful Macaroni Die-Plate, of which the followingis a specification.

My'invention relates to the die-plates used in connection with machines for manufacturing macaroni and similar products, the said plates being arranged at the lower end of the cylinder holding the dough, which is forced through the die-plate by means of a suitable plunger. Considerable difficulty is experienced in cleaning these plates; and the object of my invention is to provide a die-plate formed in sections and readily taken apart and to provide pins fitting in the opening in said plate, the said pins being readily removable when the two sections have been taken apart, thereby enabling all parts of the die to be easily cleaned.

A further object of my invention is to so shape the pins that they will automatically center when dropped into position, so that no special care or skill is required to be exercised in putting the die-plate together after cleaning.

, My invention consists in the novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, particularly pointed out in the claims, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cylinder of a macaroni-machine, partly broken away at the lower end and shown in section and showing in section my die-plate in position, the pins being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view of my die-plate. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the same plate. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through a'portion of the plate. Fig. 5 is the pins.

In the drawings, A represents the usual dough-cylinder open at each end and resting on a platform A, having a circular opening A registering with the lower end of the cylinder, but of slightly'smaller diameter than the interior diameter of the cylinder at its a perspective view of one ofbearing on the standards B are the guide described to give a clearer understanding of 'the manner in which my dle-plateis used and circling the aperture or opening A which opening is covered by the die-plate O. This plate has formed in it a plurality of tapering vertical apertures, the walls of said apertures converging inwardly and downwardly, as is clearly shown at O in Fig. 4, the lower ends of the apertures being shownat O in Fig. 3.

.A circular plate O is adapted torest on the plate O, and the plate O has a plurality of openings O formed therein and equal in number to the apertures O of the plate O and arranged. so as to aline with said apertures. The upper portions of the openings O have beveled or outwardly-flaring walls, as shown at 3*, but at their lower ends the openings O are slightly smaller in diameter than the apertures O, thecylindrical pins D having radiating webs D adjacent their upper ends, the side edges of the webs being notched, as at D These webs fit snugly in the upper portion of the apertures O, their upper ends lying flush with the top of the plate O, and the lower ends of the pins, which are centered by the webs in the apertures, project below the bottom of the plate.

Sockets, preferably three in number, are formed in the top of the plate O in its marginal portion, and pins E, carried by the plate O fit in these sockets. A threaded socket is formed in the center of the plate O and is engaged by a screw E, passing through the center of the plate O The pins E prevent the plate O from rotating on the plate O and throwing the openings O out of alinement with the openings O.

It will be obvious that when the plate O is in position the pins 1) can have no vertical movement in the apertures of the plate (J; but when the die has been removed from the cylinder for cleaning it is only necessary to take out the screw E and lift up the top plate. As previously stated, the lower ends of the pins D project below the plate G, and after the top plate has been removed by setting the plate 0 on a table or other smooth surface and bearing down on same the webs of the pins are forced up out of the apertures above the top of the plate C, thus loosening them from the dough remaining in the apertures and which would tend to hold them in their seats, especially if dry, and then by turning the plate bottom upward all the pins will fall out, and all parts of the die can be washed and cleaned. in putting the die together again it is immaterial which aperture any special pin is placed in, and-as each pin is dropped into an aperture the web will center it without calling for any special care or skill on the part of the person doing the work, and in the same way the pins E of the top plate will when fitted into their sockets center the said plate, so that the openings 0" will aline properly with the apertures (1.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A die of the kind described comprising upper and lower plates having alining openings, webbed pins held centrally in the openings of the lower plate and held in place by the upper plate, and means for detachably fastening the two plates together.

2. A die of the kind described comprising a lower plate having downwardly-tapering openings formed therein, pins having radiating webs formed on their upper portions, and adapted to fit in said openings, an upper plate having openings formed therein adapted to aline with the openings of the lower plate, the said openings being at their lower ends of less diameter than the upper portions of the openings of the lower plate, and means for fastening said upper plate detachably to the lower plate.

3. A die of the kind described comprising a plate having tapering openings formed therein, pins having a webbed portion adjacent their upper ends, said web portions fitting in the upper portions of the openings and the lower ends of the pins extending below the plate, a top plate adapted to fit over the firstmentioned plate and having openings therein adapted to aline with the openings of the first-mentioned plate and of a less diameter than the upper ends of said openings, and means for fixedly and removably securing said top plate to the first-mentioned plate.

4. A die of the kind described comprising an upper plate having aplurality of openings beveled in their upper portions, depending pins carried by the marginal portions of said plate, the said plate having acentral perforation, a lower plate having downwardly-tapering openings of a greater diameter at the top than the bottom diameter of the openings in the upper plate, the lower plate having sockets in its marginal portion adapted to receive the pins carried by the upper plate and a threaded central socket adapted to register with the central perforation of the upper plate, the openings of the upper plate alining with those of the lower plate when the said pins are in engagement with the sockets, pins having an upper web portion adapted to fit in the upper portion of the openings of the lower plate and to lie flush with the top of the lower plate, the lower ends of said pins extending below the bottom of the lower plate and the said pins being spaced by the webs from the walls of the openings in which they are seated, and a screw adapted to pass through the central perforation of the upper plate and engage the threaded socket of the lower plate.

LOUIS BOURQUIN.

Witnesses:

CHAS. M. FEELToN, LEWIS Z. BAss. 

